Stephen Gethins, the party’s Scotland spokesperson in Westminster , said that on a “human level” it was “outrageous” that the Home Office would expect parents to leave their children in a war zone.
It comes after a student from Gaza hoping to complete a PhD in Scotland pleaded with the UK Government not to “make her choose” between her education and her family.
Manar Al Houbi told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show she was informed just days before her evacuation from Gaza that her family would not be allowed to come with her – despite the Labour Government allowing other students’ families to enter the UK.
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Gethins, when asked about the issue on BBC Scotland ’s Sunday Show, said that having students from Gaza at Scottish universities is the way to “rebuild for the future”.
“You train future generations to deliver that peace, to build peace,” he told the programme.
“But frankly, it’s been outrageous and devastating for Scotland’s universities when we stopped dependents coming.
“Now that’s dependents from countries that are not facing conflict, and it stops people coming to Scotland and we want them to come here, given all the expertise and fantastic universities we’ve got.
“But you’re right to raise this personal case. We’re hearing about kids being left behind by their mums and dads, very small children being left behind in a war zone in Gaza, when their parents are having to leave.
“Their parents don’t know if their children will be safe or not. Now, at human level, that’s outrageous. Let the kids come out, you know, let the kids be with their mums and dads.”
Asked what needs to change to make that happen, Gethins made a direct appeal to the Home Office.
He added: “The Home Office needs to move on this. The Home Office panders, and we know it panders, in some of its rulings and having this hard line – let’s talk about the human level.
“These are kids that want to be with their mum and dad, that should be with their mum and dad, and fundamentally, kids are going to be removed from an area of conflict where their lives are under threat. Right now, their lives are under threat.
“So why on earth people, who are coming to study here and contribute to our society and going back during the rebuilding, can’t bring their very small children with them?”
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Gethins said: “It’s beyond me. It’s beyond me anyway, why they can’t bring their kids, but why they can’t be removed from Gaza, where their kids are under threat.
“I’m sure there’ll be parents watching this who would be devastated to leave small children behind anyway, but it’s such a dangerous set of circumstances, so I’d appeal to the Home Office.
“Let the kids come with them. Let the dependents come with them at a very human level.”
It comes as the UK Government is set to recognise the state of Palestine on Sunday afternoon.
Gethins said it was “long overdue” and that conditions “should never have been attached” to it.
“Why you would put conditions on another state for the recognition of a second state was beyond me,” he said.
He added: “You’re trying to negotiate. Hamas are a terrorist organisation, and the thought that you would be in terms of negotiating in that regard.
“Now we want to see the return of hostages immediately. They should never have been taken, but I’m not sure that the recognition of the Palestinian state would have had an impact on that.
“Hamas are a terrorist organization. You’re not talking about a state actor the same way as you are about the UK or of Israel. But we have to bring this devastating war to a close.”
Elsewhere, First Minister John Swinney has urged the UK Government to go further and impose sanctions on Israel.
